In many commercial, industrial, and scientific applications, it is often desired to extract objects of interest from different image frames and combine these objects into one image frame.
For example, with the popularity of sports cameras and smart phone-based cameras, so-called “multiplicity photography” has been increasingly gaining attention. Specifically, to perform multiplicity photography, a person may take several photos of an object (e.g., the person herself) with the object appearing at different locations in a scene and/or in different postures. The person may then combine the images of the object into one photo. The resulting photo shows multiple images of the same object, which is fun to see and share with other people.
For another example, in sports reporting, a photographer may shoot multiple moments of an athlete's action (e.g., a slam-dunk) and then show the multiple moments in one photo. Also for example, a product designer may shoot different faces of a product, and then combine the multiple views of the product into one picture for comparison. For yet another example, a biochemist may record a video clip of a molecule swimming in a cell, and then use the video clip to generate an image showing the same molecule appearing at multiple locations inside the cell. This way, the biochemist can conveniently study the molecule's conformation change during the molecule's movement.
The disclosed methods and systems address one or more of the demands listed above.